A presentation to the city's Architectural Review Board reveals renderings for the latest residential high-rise headed to Downtown Santa Monica.

The proposed project from Madison Realty Capital, slated for a property at 1435 5th Street, calls for the construction of an 18-story building featuring 422 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments above 7,050 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a two-level, 188-car subterranean parking garage.

Southwest viewOttinger Architects

As the project is a former Builder's Remedy development - one of 13 included in a 2023 settlement between the City of Santa Monica and former developer WS Communities - it will also include 64 units of deed-restricted affordable housing.

Ottinger Architects is designing 1435 5th Street, which is shown in plans as standing nearly 204 feet in height. The building is depicted with I-shaped footprint, courtyards at the second level facing both east and west, a rooftop pool deck, and exterior finishes including smooth stucco and zinc.

Southeast 5th StreetOttinger Architects

"The relatively understated design provides a quiet and elegant approach to a tall building in downtown Santa Monica," states a staff report. "The project optimizes outdoor spaces for residents; large, continuous balconies wrap around the building, emphasizing its horizontal floor lines and providing ample outdoor space for each unit. The units have floor-to-ceiling window walls that offer views above the adjacent buildings’ roofline."

The staff report recommends approval of the design concept.

1435 5th StreetOttinger Architects

The site at 1435 5th Street began as a smaller podium-type development from WS Communities, which later sought new approvals through the Builder's Remedy while Santa Monica's housing element was deemed to be out of compliance by state regulators. Madison Realty Capital, a lender to WS Communities which took over much of the company's portfolio in January, has since moved forward with plans that high-rise, as well as similar projects on Colorado Avenue and 6th Street in Downtown. The largest project of them all would create nearly 1,600 homes in four different buildings on a site at 3030 Nebraska Avenue.

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